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Today is overcast, hot and oppressive. The distant dark clouds seem to be accumulating moisture, but it is uncertain when they will gather enough rain to fall and dispel the suffocating heat.
Eastern Palace, Chongwen Academy.
Li Zhi tightly gripped the Confidential Report in his hand, his sword-like brows furrowed. He slammed it onto the Table, causing a loud bang that made the ink on the table jump high and splatter everywhere!
The Attendant Scholar was so frightened that he dared not breathe, repeatedly bowing his head and retreating to the side.
“Useless dog! You can't even kill a half-dead old dog! What good is it to keep him alive?” Li Zhi cursed angrily.
Murong Hanzhu slightly raised his head and advised, “Your Highness, joy can lead to loss of composure, and anger can cloud judgment. As a ruler, one should not show emotions openly. A small lack of patience can disrupt great plans. Why get so worked up over trivial matters...”
Upon hearing this, Li Zhi sighed lightly, calming himself down but still filled with residual anger. “What you say is true. I have indeed lost my composure. It’s just that with Li Jing still alive, I cannot find peace...”
Before Fang Xuanling's death, Li Zhi had no worries at all; after all, no one could shake his status as Crown Prince. His ascension to the throne was already a foregone conclusion.
However, due to an impulsive act against Fang Xuanling, he found himself in a series of missteps. The Sovereign even considered bringing Li Chengqian back to Chang'an, which made Li Zhi feel threatened.
Although the Sovereign's health was deteriorating, as long as he wished to change heirs, Li Zhi would never find peace. He had to eliminate those influential old ministers who were not aligned with him; otherwise, if the Sovereign became resolute, these old ministers would surely support the new heir.
Li Jing, like Fang Xuanling, had always looked down on Li Zhi. However, he praised King Wu Li Ke. Even during the competition between Li Zhi and Li Chengqian for the crown prince position, many usually low-profile Elder Ministers stood up to speak well of Li Ke. Even the Sovereign regarded Li Ke favorably, saying that he possessed both literary and martial talents and resembled himself in his youth.
Now that Li Shimin knew the cause of Fang Xuanling's death and encountered a frenzied ambush during the process of welcoming back Li Chengqian, resulting in heavy casualties among the Five Hundred Riders, while Xu Zhen Just Returned, due to close ties with Li Jing, also faced assassination attempts.
This series of blunders undoubtedly deepened Li Shimin's disappointment in Li Zhi. How could he not feel anxious? Had he known this would happen, he would not have acted against Fang Xuanling. He should have hidden his light and waited for Li Shimin to pass away peacefully.
Although Li Zhi had taken over state affairs, during daily Court Meetings, many Elder Ministers were critical of him and openly admonished him. The other officials spoke frankly without regard for him as Crown Prince. Naturally, this was unbearable for Li Zhi, who longed to ascend to the throne immediately.
However, he misunderstood the intentions of his ministers; they were not targeting him specifically. Even when Li Shimin presided over the court meetings, many ministers treated him with similar harshness. Over the years, although Li Shimin had often been angry in court, once his anger subsided, he would comfort and reward those who opposed him, praising their courage and loyalty in daring to speak out.
This has fostered an atmosphere among the ministers in the court where they act without restraint, competing even against the will of the Sovereign as long as it benefits the nation. It is precisely this kind of environment that led to the flourishing era of the Zhenguan Era in the Tang Dynasty.
Now, Li Zhi finds himself in a difficult position, unable to retreat and forced to continue down a wrong path. He secretly sends people to monitor King Wu Li Ke's movements while also purging the old ministers who have grievances against him from the Court.
Although Li Jing has retired and is living at home, seemingly losing much of his influence in court, the Sovereign is someone who values old relationships and still listens to Li Jing's counsel with great care. The fact that the Sovereign personally visited Wei Gongfu to see Li Jing when he fell ill shows this. If Li Jing were to be the first to oppose Li Zhi, those old ministers would surely follow suit, and the Sovereign could not ignore their opinions.
However, now that the Five Hundred Riders have secured Wei Gongfu, it has become exceedingly difficult to take action against Li Jing.
Murong Hanzhu, aware of Li Zhi's concerns, smiled lightly and confidently offered advice: "Your Highness, Li Jing is quite old and has one foot in the grave. He is also severely injured and likely does not have much longer to live. It would be better to focus your efforts elsewhere..."
Upon seeing the cold glint in Murong Hanzhu's eyes, Li Zhi realized that this chief strategist of the Eastern Palace had another plan. He immediately asked, "What should our next move be? I hope you can enlighten me..."
After all, Li Shimin already knows of Li Zhi's intention to usurp power. Even border troops have secretly infiltrated Chang'an City; now it is merely a matter of openly tearing off the facade. There is no need for excessive caution in their actions. Furthermore, with Yuan Tiangang by his side providing elixirs daily, Li Shimin has become increasingly enamored with such substances, which only serves to diminish his vitality further.
Cui believes that currently, those whom the Sovereign can rely on are none other than Li Jue and Xu Zhen, Liu Hongji and Self-Preservation, who have yet to express their stance. Cheng Zhijie is also pretending to be deaf and mute. However, Asena Sher and Qibi Helix remain steadfastly loyal... If we can win over Liu Hongji and Cheng Zhijie while sending two vassals away, then only Li Jue and Xu Zhen will remain. What significant actions can they undertake?
Murong Hanzhu lightly tapped on the table with his fingers, exuding an air of strategic depth. Li Zhi listened intently and nodded frequently, growing increasingly convinced of Murong Hanzhu's insight and cunning.
On the following day during the grand court assembly, Li Zhi used Kucha King's negligence in controlling soldiers harassing the border as an excuse to send Asena Sher and Qibi Helix westward against Kucha.
At the end of the Court Meeting, Li Zhi promoted Liu Hongji's son Liu Renshih to Left Vanguard General Colonel under the pretext of promoting young talents. Since Liu Hongji was a founding hero with considerable prestige, none of the ministers objected.
However, Liu Hongji quickly discerned Li Zhi's intentions.
Liu Hongji had been around Li Shimin for a long time; during the Former Sui period, he served as a Right Honorary Attendant due to his father's influence. To escape Sui Yangdi's campaign against Liao, he deliberately slaughtered farm cattle and was imprisoned for it—he was indeed a shrewd individual.
Later he sought refuge in Taiyuan and followed Gaozu Li Yuan, forming a brotherly bond with the current Sovereign. When Gaozu raised his army, Liu Hongji killed Song Laosheng and defeated Wei Wensheng while besieging Chang'an, earning significant military achievements and being appointed Right Guard General.
Afterward, he followed the current Sovereign to battle everywhere, defeating Xue Ju, achieving a great victory over Song Jingang, and pacifying Liu Heita. He was granted the title of Duke. By the Zhenguan Era, he was appointed Minister of Guards and regranted the title Duke of Kui, inheriting the position of Governor of Lizhou. Like many old ministers, he chose to retire gracefully and was honored as the General Who Aids the Nation before eventually taking his leave to enjoy his old age.
The Sovereign intended to lead an expedition against Goguryeo and initially wanted to appoint Li Jing as Commander. However, due to Li Jing's advanced age and concerns about his ability to endure the hardships of travel, Liu Hongji was summoned back to join the military campaign against Goguryeo.
This shows that Liu Hongji, as an elder close to the Sovereign, had gained his trust. Now that Li Zhi had promoted his son, the intention was clear.
Three days later, Liu Hongji submitted a request for resignation to return home for retirement. Li Shimin feared that Liu Hongji might suffer a fate similar to Li Jing's and thus agreed to his request, which delighted Li Zhi.
Upon returning to the palace, Li Shimin felt somewhat dazed; in reality, he was deeply regretful. If he had established Li Chengqian as the crown prince from the beginning, would things have come to this?
However, he reconsidered: Tubo was eager to become emperor, and even a timid son like Li Zhi was anxious for power. With a temperament like Li Chengqian's, how could one guarantee he wouldn't be equally eager for the throne?
Thinking of this made Li Shimin sigh; indeed, was there no familial affection in the royal household?
He understood that if he were to replace Li Zhi at this moment, it would surely lead to chaos. If he angered Li Zhi, there was a chance that Li Zhi would immediately attempt a coup. Currently, with Changsun Wuji's support and a foundation established by Li Shimin himself, how could one simply replace him?
Li Shimin was not without wisdom; he merely wanted to express his stance and give Li Zhi a warning that he was not without capable people and certainly not so old that he could be easily manipulated by Li Zhi.
However, after this confrontation, aside from Xu Zhen managing to withdraw unscathed, Li Zhi had successfully cleared out all old ministers who posed a threat to him from the court.
In fact, Li Shimin had considered replacing Li Zhi. After the Tubo Rebellion broke out, the first candidate for Crown Prince that came to mind was not Li Chengqian or Li Zhi but rather Li Ke!
However, Changsun Wuji insisted that Li Zhi was usable and strongly opposed making Li Ke the crown prince. It is said that there was even a conflict between Li Ke and Changsun Wuji behind closed doors. Consequently, Li Shimin had to abandon this idea and personally wrote a letter of admonition to educate Li Ke, which led Changsun Wuji to harbor resentment towards him.
When Xu Zhen reported on Fang Xuanling's cause of death, Li Shimin genuinely considered changing heirs. Unfortunately, by then, Li Zhi had already gained considerable power while Li Chengqian refused to return.
Li Ke was indeed a person of both literary and martial prowess; being the third son of Li Shimin and with Tubo deceased, he should hold the highest status among them.
However, Li Ke was born to Li Shimin and Consort Yang, who was the daughter of Sui Yangdi. Each time the ministers opposed him based on this lineage, Li Shimin was left helpless.
In such circumstances, Li Shimin had no choice but to lower his flag and cease his efforts, yet he felt an extreme sorrow within. Coupled with his reliance on Yuan Tiangang's elixirs, his health continued to deteriorate.
Due to the Sovereign's Dragon Body being unwell, the Inner Palace was shrouded in gloom, and the New Year became lifeless. Seeing that Li Shimin took no further action, Li Zhi resumed his role of benevolence and filial piety, serving Li Shimin with increasing devotion. However, it became increasingly difficult for Li Shimin to show goodwill towards this son.
None of this escaped the notice of Xu Zhen. According to the Historical Records, Li Zhi aged prematurely while serving the ailing Li Shimin, yet the truth was far from commendable. Xu Zhen could not help but sigh; history is indeed written by the victors.
Since reading Li Jing's Yin Fu Machine, Xu Zhen became more low-key. Besides attending to duties in the palace, she spent her days listening to teachings from Li Jing or seeking knowledge from Li Jue. She also inspected military formations at Beitun Camp near Xuanwu Gate, leading a fulfilling yet ordinary life.
One day, as usual, she arrived at Wei Gongfu and noticed that Li Jing was unusually out for a walk, supported by none other than Li Deqian!
Li Deqian, who had been exiled to Lingnan, had actually returned!
For Xu Zhen, this was both good news and bad news.
Having often accompanied Li Jing, he understood well the latter's longing for his two sons. The fact that Li Deqian could return to the capital indicated that he had received permission from the court; however, it also suggested that Li Jing's time was running short. Li Deqian's return this time was likely to inherit Li Jing's title...
The two longtime friends exchanged silent glances, their eyes filled only with helplessness and sorrow.
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